Atletico Madrid prepared for their Europa League semi-final against Arsenal in the worst possible way with a 3-0 La Liga defeat to Real Sociedad.

Diego Simeone's side suffered their fourth defeat of the season at the Anoeta Stadium with goals from Willlian Jose and Juanmi - who scored a brace.

Atleti remain second in the table behind Barcelona, but missed the chance to move six points clear of fierce rivals Real Madrid after their fourth consecutive away defeat in a row.

Arsenal face Atletico next week in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final, with both sides looking to earn a place in May's final, which takes place in Lyon.

And after the Spanish side's poor display against Sociedad, some Gunners fans could be forgiven for thinking that the former Champions League finalists may not be as formidable this season as in previous campaigns.

It was a bad night for Atletico (Image: ANDER GILLENEA/AFP/Getty Images)

The Gunners announced earlier on Thursday that they will subsidise fans' tickets for the trip to Madrid for the second leg.

Atletico had announced ticket prices of £79 for Arsenal fans, in comparison to the £36.50 which fans of the La Liga side would pay for the first leg at the Emirates Stadium.

In a statement on their website, Arsenal confirmed they will make up the difference, ensuring that fans will pay the same price as Atletico fans for their visit to north London next Thursday.

Mark Brindle, the Gunners' Supporter’s Liaison Officer, said: “We know our match in Madrid is already shaping up to be an expensive one for our supporters with the early May Bank Holiday increasing travel costs.

“On top of this, our fans are being asked to pay a higher ‘non-member’ price for their tickets to Estadio Metropolitano.

"We’ve decided to subsidise tickets for the second leg, meaning our travelling fans will spend the same as those from Atletico.

“Our travelling fans are the lifeblood of the club and we hope this measure helps to make their journey to Spain a little easier.”